Key Chess Tactics
1. Fork (Double Attack)
A fork occurs when a single piece attacks two or more enemy pieces simultaneously. It's a
powerful tactic because it forces your opponent to lose material, as they can only protect one of
the attacked pieces.
- Example : A knight on e5 can fork a king on g6 and a queen on c6, forcing the king to move
and the knight to capture the queen.
2. Pins
A pin occurs when an attacking piece forces an opponent's piece to stay in place because
moving it would expose a more valuable piece behind it.
- Types of Pin
- Absolute Pin : The pinned piece cannot move because doing so would expose the king
(illegal in chess).
- Relative Pin : The pinned piece can technically move, but doing so would expose a more
valuable piece, such as a queen or rook.
3. Skewer
Similar to a pin, a skewer forces an opponent’s more valuable piece to move, exposing a less
valuable piece behind it.
- Example: A Bishop on f4 skewers the opponent’s queen on e5 and a rook on c7. The queen
must move, allowing the capture of the rook.
4. Discovered Attack (and Discovered Check)
A discovered attack happens when one piece moves, revealing an attack from another piece
behind it. A discovered check is even more powerful because the opponent must respond to the
check, giving you the opportunity to capture or attack other pieces.
- Example: A knight on d5 moves to b6 revealing an attack on the rook on a8, while
simultaneously checking the black king
5. Double Check
A double check occurs when moving a piece delivers two checks simultaneously: one from
the moving piece and another from the piece it reveals. The only way to escape a double check
is to move the king, as blocking or capturing does not stop both checks.
- Example: A knight moves to h6, uncovering a check from the queen which eventually leads
to a checkmate.
7. X-Ray Attack
An X-ray attack occurs when a piece attacks another through an intervening piece. This tactic
works particularly well with long-range pieces like queens, rooks, and bishops.
-Example: A rook on a3 attacks the pawn on f7 through a knight on f3. If the knight moves,
the attack will hit the pawn on f7.
8. Zwischenzug (Intermediate Move)
This is an unexpected intermediate move made in response to an opponent’s threat, often
improving your position or counterattacking. It interrupts the expected sequence of moves and
can lead to a tactical advantage.
- Example: You took a knight on f4, the opponent took your knight on f1. Instead of
recapturing immediately, you attack the black queen while at the same time saving your bishop,
this forces your opponent’s queen to move, and only then recapture the piece.
9. Overloading
Overloading occurs when an opponent’s piece is given too many defensive tasks, causing it to
fail at defending all critical threats.
(Game by Jose Raul Capablanca)
- Example from a Grandmaster game : The enemy queen is defending both a bishop and
the back rank. So Capablanca overloads the black queen by taking the bishop, which he can’t
take since he will blunder checkmate.
